Beacons in the Night
by Carry On
Summary: Leorio runs across Kurapika while on a job, but things become complicated after Kurapika ends up injured. Leorio finds out he doesn't know Kurapika as well as he thought and they both find themselves with a new enemy. Eventual Leorio x Kurapika. (Warning for female Kurapika)
1. Chapter 1

**I do not own HunterxHunter.**

The real name of the country was only known to its inhabitants. To outsiders, the tiny country had several names. These ranged from the descriptive "The Land of Beautiful Men" to the simplistic "Heaven." To live there, one had to pass a rigorous and highly subjective test. To visit, there were two options. The first option was an hour long guided tour of the country's main attractions. You would see old buildings, vast gardens, and hundreds of citizens, who were all gorgeous men of all types.

Leorio had just passed through the gates to the main city and he already hated it. His eye twitched as a tall, thin man sauntered up to him. His light brown hair was perfectly in place, a thick strand falling before one eye. His skin was pale and his eyes a deep blue. His outfit resembled that of a school boy's uniform. He looked fragile and ill suited to the outdoors.

He was definitely not getting paid enough for this.

"Are you here for the tour or to visit our library?"

"Library," Leorio answered curtly. It didn't faze the man.

"You will need to go right. It is that large building at the end. Enjoy your stay," He bowed and went off to greet a group of squawking girls. Leorio could feel his good mood souring as he walked towards the library. His shoulders stooped and his legs assumed a bow-legged stance.

The other way to get into the Land of Beautiful Men was to obtain a pass to its library. This was easy for the owner of a hunter's license. Although it seemed like intelligence was the last thing to be found in the city, its library had the reputation of being the best in the world. When he spotted the building from the start of the street, Leorio could see where the reputation came from. The façade of the building was impressive, even he had to admit. A perfect square of marble stood before him, blemished by the many windows cut into it. From a sign next to the straight and narrow steps leading to the entrance, Leorio found out the building's overall shape was that of a cube.

The inside was similar to any other library. It was quiet and dim. The main difference was the length of the shelves. They appeared the go on for miles. Leorio picked a row and strolled down it. He came to a break in the rows which offered plenty of tables to the library's traveler. He picked one and he sat down. From his briefcase, he took out a textbook. He had to wait until sundown before he could do what he was sent for. Meanwhile, he would study.

Leorio's mission: infiltrate as a scholar, sneak into an off-limits forest, and find the Ventrikel plant. He had gotten through the first part with no major problems

Just a small slice of a Ventrikel plant could be used in a variety of drugs. It was usually used to cure the common cold, but it could also take care of poisons and alleviate arthritis. The problem with the plant was getting it. Not only was the forest they were native to restricted to most everyone, but they were also dangerous to go near because they spewed out a strong acid. When Mr. Pons –who was Leorio's teacher, steady employer, and landlord- had offered free rent for half a year and a good amount of jenny, Leorio wasted no time agreeing to the job. He had been doing odd, hunter related jobs for the townspeople since he arrived, but none of them had ever offered this much money.

Leorio flipped a page of his textbook, taking notes and praying he would remember what he had just read. His breaks consisted of checking the sky through the wide windows to see if it was dark enough to leave and start on the job. On one of these checks, which had been increasing in their frequency as Leorio hit a particularly difficult biological concept, his eyes spotted a familiar figure. He shut his book and stashed it away.

Kurapika was turned around before he had a chance to surprise him.

"Hello, Leorio," Kurapika relaxed his shoulders and shut the book he had been reading.

"So, what brings you to the land of beautiful men?" As he looked down at Kurapika, Leorio thought he might have just answered his own question.

"Business."

"Same here. Did you pick a place to stay at yet?"

"If you're looking for a place to stay without paying for it, then the answer is 'no.'" Kurapika's face had not changed expressions as he spoke. Leorio's teeth pressed closer to one another. It was inevitable that Kurapika would take a jab at him.

"I was just wondering. You know, trying to make small talk," Someone "shushed" at him. Leorio ignored it. Instead, he glanced up at the windows. The bright light was finally going away. He kept his tone cold. "Well, I now when I'm not wanted. See you around."

He spun around and began to walk away. Kurapika sat sideways in his chair and shook his head.

"Leorio, I'm going to be at the Brushe` Inn."

Leorio pretended not to hear while making a mental note of it. He gave a quick wave of his hand and headed for the library exit.

For a restricted area, it was easy to get into. There was no fence or guard to keep a wanderer out, just a large billboard warning hikers that the area past it was off-limits. As he walked, the grass went from luscious green to the brown of death. It was apparent he was very close to the Ventrikels when the size of the burned areas increased. Soon after, he spotted the plants themselves. No other vegetation grew around them.

The Ventrikels were long and snakelike stalks. As they waved in a group on top of a large dome of plant flesh, they resembled Medusa's head. Out of their tops, acid was shot sporadically, spraying the area around them. From where he crouched, Leorio could hear it sizzle as it hit the ground.

Seeing how many flailing limbs the plant had, all of them spewing out skin melting liquid, Leorio felt himself getting nervous. He watched and waited for a rhythm of acid spitting to appear. When he felt confident he had found it, he uncapped a large bottle of ammonia. He then rushed up to the plant, grabbed a shoot, and poured the ammonia down. Swiftly, he brought up his knife and sliced. He retreated just before he caught another burst of acid.

The Ventrikel shoot writhed in his hand, the inside of its tube steaming. Leorio poured more of his basic cleaner down that tube and hoped he had done enough. His heart was still racing from the frantic procedure and the excitement of it all. From the spot behind the bush, Leorio pulled out a bottle of alcohol. He had bought it after leaving the library. The alcohol was strong and most of it was still left in the short, stout bottle. Leorio had drunk some before leaving for the forest to make room for the plant. Kurapika, who ended up having the room next to his, had refused to even touch it.

Leorio began to cut up the plant into thin, donut shapes and pushed them through the wide opening of the bottle. He hoped they wouldn't contaminate the alcohol inside, as it was very good, even if it had been made by pretty boys. When the last piece was shoved in, Leorio got up and retraced his path through the woods. The journey back was as uneventful as the trip there. To avoid suspicion when he was on the streets, Leorio had left the bottle of ammonia in an alley and only held the liquor bottle in sight. He added a little swagger to his step. Shirtless men, their muscles well defined and their skin tanned, watched, but lost interest quickly. Leorio 'accidentally' ran into one and knocked him over.

Getting into his room, he set the bottle down carefully and headed for the shared bathroom at the end of the hall to take a shower. Wearing only a towel about his waist, he went back, hung up his suit, and got into bed. All the mundane things over, he shut his eyes and went to sleep.

It didn't last more than a few hours. Leorio was woken up by an urgent need to pee. He left the room, wearing only the boxers he had slept in, and rushed into the bathroom. Having relieved himself, he trudged back to his room. Or he started to, at least. Eyelids that had been fighting to close back up popped open and stayed there when Leorio saw the open door of Kurapika's room. Inside, Kurapika was lying on the floor, his body curled up. He was obviously in pain.

The cause was apparent from where Leorio stood: the top of Kurapika's thigh had been slashed. Blood stained the white pants surrounding the wound. Leorio ran into the room and knelt by Kurapika's side. Kurapika's eyes were open and he looked up at Leorio. His face was pale and his body was shaking uncontrollable. Leorio could tell now that it wasn't just the wound to the leg that had done this. Kurapika had also been poisoned.

"I'm coming right back, Kurapika," Leorio assured. He ran out of the room and into his own. He found his briefcase and then spotted the liquor bottle. Ventrikels didn't help with all poisons, but they were worth a shot. He grabbed up the bottle and went back.

When he was by Kurapika's side again, he fished out a Ventrikel piece. Using a small knife from his briefcase, he cut the little circle in half and told Kurapika to chew on it. Next, he focused his attention on the actual injury. He snatched a washcloth off of Kurapika's dresser and pressed it against the cut.

After about a minute, he lifted up the washcloth and examined the cut. It wasn't as big as the blood stain led him to believe. Carefully, he removed a tattered piece of pant leg from the bloody gorge. Although the cut wasn't big, it needed to be sewed up. This was not Leorio's favorite thing to do. From his briefcase came a needle and thread, usually kept around just in case he ripped his clothing while out on a job. He also pulled out a small bottle of liquid anesthetic (something Leorio was not supposed to have). He injected it into the thigh and prepared himself for what he was about to do. He glanced at Kurapika's face.

Kurapika was no longer shaking, but he had shut his eyes and appeared to be unconscious. That would make the job easier, Leorio thought as he sterilized his needle. It would also be easier if he had his work area cleared. Leorio gripped the waistline of Kurapika's pants and pulled them down, making sure to go slowly when he got to the area of the cut. With the pants gone, he was ready to go.

The sewing was over quickly. As he knotted the string and wrapped gauze around the wound, Leorio let out a sigh. Now that the tough work was done and it had ended successfully, he could think. Mainly, what had Kurapika been doing?

He found his answer when he scanned the room. At the foot of the bed was a strange container laying on its side. It looked like an hourglass with gold stands and supports. Trapped inside each of the two orbs was an eyeball. The floating eyes stared at Leorio, their red irises illuminated by the ceiling light. There was no doubt that these once belonged to a member of the Kurta Clan.

Who had Kurapika taken these eyes from and how soon would they come after him? Leorio didn't have an answer to that one, but he was afraid that whoever had the eyes would be desperate to have them back. All he could do now was finish up with Kurapika and hope he woke up soon.

As he waited, he started to debate if he should get Kurapika a new set of clothes. Not only had the pants been stained and ripped, but a sleeve had also been sliced into. If they had to hurry out of the country, it would look suspicious. Leorio started to look around for a change of clothes. In a bag, he found the clothes Kurapika normally wore. He had been wearing a black kung-fu style top and white pants.

Leorio raised Kurapika up against his chest and unbuttoned the top. As he expected, there was a tank top underneath. Manipulating the arms, Leorio finally managed to get the long sleeved shirt on. He was debating if he really cared what Kurapika looked like after this little exercise, but decided to just finish what he started. He pulled the shoes off and jerked the pants off all the way. His grumbling began as he put the feet into the pants and started to get them up.

Then he was silenced. Something was off.

Somewhere in the back of his mind, he had been struck by how girlish Kurapika's leg was. He had been too busy with his make-shift surgery to dwell on it. Even if he had, he normally thought a lot of stuff about Kurapika was girlish. Now, he wasn't so sure it was his imagination. He had to get a closer inspection of this.

Leorio tightened his tie as he exited his room. He left the keys in the door and slipped back into Kurapika's room. All of his and Kurapika's belongings were grouped together on the bed; the container with the eyes was wrapped in Kurapika's ripped clothing and tucked into his bag.

Or, more appropriately, her bag. He felt that the lack of male genitalia affected the pronoun usage. Leorio had told himself he would not dwell on this fact until they were someplace safer.

Leorio squatted down and shook Kurapika's shoulder. There was no response except Leorio's own sigh. He was going to have to carry Kurapika and all of their luggage. He didn't know what Kurapika's plans were, but Leorio's included not getting caught by some rich guy who collected human eyeballs. He wanted to leave as soon as possible. Leorio managed to get Kurapika over his shoulder and then get a handle on their bags. Just as he had done with his room, he stuck the keys in the handle and left. He fought to keep his balance as he went down the stairs. The innkeeper was sleeping at the front desk, a radio playing in the back ground.

The streets were empty, just as Leorio hoped they would be. He hurried as fast as he could down the tiled road. It wasn't long before he made it to the big gates and the small booth containing the guard. This time, it was a man with long blond hair pulled back into a ponytail. His uniform was strict. So was his attitude.

"We don't let visitors out until six in the morning, sir."

"Ah, come on. My friend and I really need to hit the road. We were supposed to be in Dimsdale yesterday, but my friend's a huge partier," He gestured to Kurapika with the hand holding their things. The other hand was on Kurapika's back keeping the body steady. Leorio's shoulder was starting to ache. "I need to get him out of here before he runs off to another bar."

Leorio let out a laugh that was loud and awkward. The guard stared at him with forest green eyes brought out in full force by his eyeliner.

"You can leave at six in the morning."

Leorio was about to start begging when he heard the sounds of running feet. On the street he had just come from, a group of men were coming and fast. One of them held the leash of an Eleck. It was like a hound, except for the fact that it could emit a shock at the person it had been told to track down. Leorio turned back to the guard, whose expression made it clear he was not getting through with his permission.

Leorio did the first thing that came to mind. He punched the man, hitting the nose dead center. The man fell back. Leorio leaned across the window and pressed the button that would let them out. He squeezed through the still opening door and ran for it. He could hear the dog barking behind them.

"Kurapika, are you awake yet?" Leorio yelled. Kurapika didn't respond. Perfect. He couldn't remember how you got away from Elecks. Going across a stream didn't sound right. It wasn't playing dead, either.

As he racked his brain for the solution, his legs kept moving. He made it to a hill and gained speed as he went down. He could still see the torch lights waving behind him.

Throw meat? That couldn't be it and besides, he didn't have any meat.

"Come on, Kurapika, wake up!" As he shouted, he was hit with an idea. He stopped running and raised up the bottle with the Ventrikels. He carefully brought down the hand holding Kurapika and fished in the bottle until his finger hooked a piece. He pulled it out and flung it on to the ground. Having done that, he capped the bottle, steadied Kurapika, and continued to run.

If he was right, that plant was the cause of Kurapika's deep sleep and hopefully the dog's as well. He veered off the path to the left and struggled through a tangle of bushes and low hanging tree branches. He pushed himself through until he found a small clearing. In the middle was a large cluster of trees. Leorio headed over to it.

The trees were large, both in width and height. They were in a perfect circle, like a group of children playing Ring-Around-the-Rosie. Leorio entered in between two of them. He put Kurapika down and let go of their luggage. He, too, ended up on the ground, trying to catch his breath. The sky above was obscured by the leafy tops of the trees.

He could hear nor see any of their pursuers. The Ventrikel had done its work. The danger of being caught gone, Leorio was able to concentrate on other matters. He glanced over at Kurapika, who still had her eyes shut. It looked like the same Kurapika Leorio had known for almost two years, but he still couldn't help noticing something was different.

He couldn't understand why Kurapika had pretended to be a boy this entire time and never let him in on it. He felt as if he's been tricked. To try and distract himself from his negative thoughts, he shut his eyes and tried to sleep.

They didn't stay that way for long. A red glow found its way through Leorio's closed eyelids and filled his mind with its color. He jerked awake, but the light was gone. He swung his head about, but couldn't find the source of the light. What he did see was a person standing over Kurapika, looking down at the sleeping figure.

"Hey!"

The person vanished from sight, leaving a faint after image that faded away just moments afterwards. Leorio got up and started to poke around the circle.

He didn't find anyone. He also didn't find sleep again that night.


	2. Chapter 2

**It has been brought to my attention that I forgot to dedicate this story. **

**Sorry, Chris. I guess I just don't like you that much.**

**2**

Kurapika opened her eyes and was instantly blinded by a beam of sunlight. As she turned away sleepily, grass tickled her cheek and jerked her awake. Fighting fatigue, she sat up and looked about. When she spotted her bag, she crawled over to it as fast as she could and opened it. She let the dirtied clothes drop away. The gold of the hourglass shimmered and the eyes floated up against the glass to stare up at her. The numbness in her body made the pressure building up behind her eyes more painful.

Who was this in her hands?

She slowly wrapped the eyes back up and placed them back into the bag. A few moments of absolute stillness passed, but she couldn't let herself dwell in it too long. Remaining in her kneeling position, Kurapika fully took in her surroundings.

Seven large trees encircled her, sunlight flooding into the gaps between their trunks. She was alone, but Leorio's briefcase told her that she wouldn't be for long. Feeling throughout her body was coming back and with it came a dull ache in her leg. Placing a hand on her thigh, the jumbled events of the night before came back: breaking into the large mansion, making her way to the eyes, a surprise jab from a guard. Everything after that was blurred.

"Well, look who's awake."

Kurapika spun around. Leorio came into the circle, his jacket thrown over his shoulder. He dropped to the ground and sighed.

"There's no water around here," He complained. He reached for the jug of liquor and took a sip. "How's your leg? I had to stitch it up, so you can't do anything else crazy for a couple of days."

"Oh, it's fine," Kurapika did another scan of the area. "Where are we?"

"I don't know. We got chased out of the city by a bunch of guys and ended up here. It's weird, but I haven't seen any sign of them."

Leorio's words and their hiding place suddenly made a connection in Kurapika's mind.

"I've heard about places like this. There are several cultures that believe these tree circles are the gathering places of spirits and demons. They're usually avoided."

Leorio's expression became grim. Kurapika became even more suspicious when he let out a nervous laugh.

"Well, that helps us out, now doesn't it?" His stomach growled loudly. He smiled sheepishly. "Did you bring any food?"

"You didn't bring any of your own?"

"If I had, I wouldn't be asking," Leorio replied.

Kurapika opened her bag once more, carefully holding aside the bundle with the eyes, and withdrew a small box from her bag. Inside, there was an apple, two hard rolls, and some strips of dried meat. The box offered to him, Leorio took one of the rolls. Kurapika did the same and pulled out a bottle of water from the bag.

"You don't happen to have another one of those, do you?" He watched lustfully as Kurapika took a sip.

"No."

"Then let's share it."

"I don't really want to."

Leorio bit into his roll while glaring at Kurapika. "If it wasn't for me, you wouldn't be here right now."

Kurapika thought it over.

"You're right. Thanks." She then took another sip.

"That's it! I'm done playing this game! Give me some!"

000

Leorio hated to admit it, but they were lost.

Kurapika, on the other hand, had no problem pointing it out.

"You said it was straight ahead, right? I think we passed this log twice now." To Leorio, the tone screamed, "You're an idiot." He could feel his blood pressure rising.

"Can't you use that chain of yours to find the way out?"

"It doesn't work that way." Leorio mumbled. Kurapika continued. "Where's your nen ability?"

He answered by walking faster. He was tired, hungry, and frustrated. It didn't help that Kurapika had been in a bad mood since he knocked the water bottle out of her hand and most of it had spilled on to the ground. That had been her own fault. This whole mess was her fault.

"Why don't we try that way?" Kurapika suggested.

Leorio snapped. He was not going to take this.

"Why don't you try being honest with your friends."

"What are you talking about? That has nothing to-"

"When were you going to mention that you're a girl?"

A dark blush rose on to Kurapika's cheeks. Breathing in and keeping her voice under control, she asked: "How did you find that out?"

"Last night, when I was dealing with your cut."

"What? That wound is on my leg! Why were you looking anywhere else?"

"I got curious! I just peeked, you know! It wasn't like I was feeling you up or anything!"

"You want to know why I never told you?" Kurapika let some of her anger into her voice. "Not only do you have no control over your mouth, but you're a desperate man who will chase after any woman!"

"Well, I can tell you that's not true! Flat-chested boy-girls do nothing for me, so you were fine all along!"

Their eyes locked. It was Leorio who broke their tensed connection. He leapt onto a fallen tree and continued on. Behind him, twigs snapped as Kurapika followed. He tried to keep his attention forward, but as time passed, he started to feel guilty. Choking down his pride, he turned to face Kurapika. She was a few feet behind him.

"Kurapika, I'm sorry about what I said," He forced out, trying to make sure there was sincerity in it. Kurapika stopped and looked at him coldly. "I'm tired and I'm hungry. I'm just a little on edge."

There was a drawn out silence.

"I'm sorry, too," Kurapika finally said.

Leorio nodded to show his acceptance of the apology and turned around to continue. He slowed down so Kurapika could catch up. A few minutes later, he spoke again.

"Hey, what's your real voice sound like?" Leorio asked, looking back at Kurapika.

"This is my real voice," Kurapika answered flatly.

"Oh."

"Are you trying to start another argument?" Kurapika shouted. Leorio paid no attention. A break in the trees ahead revealed a blue sky and a roof top.

"We made it!" Both he and Kurapika picked up speed, weaving around trees to make it to the outside world. The noon sun hit Leorio as he broke through the tree line onto the dirt road. Just a short walk away was a town and Leoro started eagerly for it.

The first thing they came across was a bus stop. Leorio checked the schedule.

"Next bus leaves in a half-hour," He followed its route with his finger on the board, stopping when he got to Valise, the city he was currently living in. "Where are you going next, Kurapika?"

Kurapika came over and looked at the board beside Leorio. She pointed to Rond, a seaport town.

"I'm going there."

"Man, that's a long ride. What're you going there for?"

"I need to take a boat to get back to the Kurta village."

"I see," Leorio said quietly. He looked back at the map. "You know, Valise is on the way there. Why don't you stop there and stay with me for a few days? I want to make sure those stitches come out."

Kurapika kept her gaze on the board, thinking over the request. It was apparent she wanted to get the business of eyes over with as soon as possible.

"I can get the stitches out myself," Kurapika said after some contemplation. "But, I do need a place to stay tonight. It looks like the bus line would shut down before I made it to Rond."

"All right, now that that's solved, let's get some food," Leorio grinned as he slapped Kurapika on the shoulder. Kurapika flashed him an annoyed look. "I'll even pay."

"Good thing I've been in the mood for cheap food," Kurapika shrugged and smiled.

"Don't ruin it."

They headed for the town and found a stall selling beef and noodles. As they sat and ate at the stall's counter, Leorio spotted two men coming up the street. He wouldn't have paid them any mind except for the fact that they were exceptionally beautiful. Their dark, brooding eyes swept the streets. Leorio slurped in a forkful of noodles as he watched the men stop at another food stall and start talking to the man behind the counter.

"We'd better get going," Kurapika said. Leorio nodded and took in a last forkful of beef and noodles. They grabbed their things and immersed themselves in the crowd of people in the middle of the street.

"Stop!" A man shouted from behind. His voice was strong on the surface, but under it could be heard a soul tortured by its past. Kurapika and Leorio started darting past people in the crowd, going through any gap to get ahead of their pursuers. Once they were off the street and back outside the town, they rushed over to the bus stop.

"It should be here any minute now." Leorio said. In his hand was his long knife and he focused on the town's entrance. Kurapika had also armed herself, both hands surrounding a sheathed sword. They waited.

The bus made it to them first. They were through the door the moment it opened.

"You are supposed to stand back from the doors so that patrons may get off," Barked the driver, a thin, austere looking woman. She looked like she had escaped from behind a library desk. Leorio ignored her and stood before a seat, facing the door. Kurapika was in the row before him, also ready to attack. There was no one else on the bus. "Passengers must be seated except when boarding or unboarding."

"Are you going to shut the doors? There's no one else out there," Leorio told her. She turned around in her seat to face him.

"I am required to keep these doors open for five minutes so that any passengers running late may board and go to their destination."

"Look, lady, just shut the doors!" Leorio shouted.

"It would be very helpful to us if we could leave now," Kurapika added in calmly.

"Drivers do not take requests from passengers. We have a strict schedule to follow."

Leorio's teeth ground against each other. He was about to start shouting at the old woman again when the two men came up the steps and into the bus.

"Because of your actions, our master has been disgraced. We, his faithful servants, bring you his ill feelings. To win back his pride and his possession, we will not hesitate to kill you. This is your warning. We do not fear death, but only the thought of our master's unhappiness. Now, prepare yourselves," Having spoken, the man drew out a long sword and pointed it at them. The other did the same. Leorio rolled his eyes.

"Kurapika, you seriously got injured by a guy like this?"

"They're better fighters than they look," Kurapika shot back.

All four readied themselves for the moment they would strike. Leorio yelled and leapt from his spot towards the man who had spoken. The other man remained where he was, a small smirk forming on his face.

"All passengers should be in their seats," The driver said. No one paid attention to her.

They couldn't ignore her next action. As the bus pulled on to the road and quickly gained speed, all four were thrown off balance. Leorio fell onto the aisle floor.

"Seriously, lady? There's a fight about to break out and _then_ you leave?!" Leorio shouted at her as he got up.

"I have to keep to the schedule."

The other man, who had gracefully fallen into the seat before him, straightened up.

"All right, let's try this again!" With that, Leorio charged once more for the man. Their blades struck. Leorio was surprised to find that the man had strength and had to pull back.

He then found himself thrown against the side of the bus as it made a sharp turn. The man he had been fighting also fell. This was because Kurapika had gotten behind him and hit him the back of the head with her sword's handle. Leorio rubbed his forehead and sat down.

"I was going to do that."

"You're welcome," Kurapika said, crossing the aisle and sitting down.

When the bus stopped a few miles later, Kurapika and Leorio used the five minutes to drag the two men off the bus. They arrived in Valise without further incident and walked to Leorio's home.

The sign on the old brick building said "Pons Medical Practice." The building itself was three stories and crushed between two taller ones. It had once housed offices for an unknown company, but now was converted into Pons' practice and three apartments on the second floor. Leorio opened the front door of the building and entered a waiting room. There was no one there except for an old man, smoking in one of the chairs.

"Ah, you're back," The old man said, snuffing his cigarette out into an ashtray. He gray hair was coming off in patches, but his face was remarkably free from wrinkles. He wore a white lab coat and black pants. "Did you manage to find them?"

"Sure did. I even got you a present," Leorio gave him the liquor bottle. The old man looked into the bottle and grinned. He sniffed it and finally took a drink from the bottle. He wiped his mouth and nodded his head in approval. His gaze then fell onto Kurapika.

"Looks like you picked yourself up a little something extra, too. I've got to say, though, I didn't know you were into young boys."

Leorio sputtered. "He's just a friend of mine!"

"My name's Kurapika," Kurapika cut in, extending a hand to the old man.

"Pons. Pleased to meet you," Pons took Kurapika's hand and shook. He then shifted a little closer, causing Kurapika to lean away nervously. "If he tries to do anything to you, just scream. We'll hear you."

"I'm not going to do anything to my _friend_!"

"Oh, calm down. Can I have your money sent up later?"

"Yeah, whatever. Come on, Kurapika."

Kurapika followed Leorio as he ascended a staircase to the left of the front door. They went down a narrow hallway and entered a one room apartment. Leorio dropped his case on the bed and rolled his neck around to stretch it. Kurapika set down her own bag carefully on a trunk at the end of the bed. Leorio sat and unlaced his shoes.

"I don't know about you, but I'm going to sleep," He pulled off his second shoe and lay across the bed, his legs still over the side. The sleepless night and the active day suddenly descended on Leorio, making him feel as if his body was being pulled into the bed. He shut his eyes and lost consciousness almost immediately.

000

Kurapika had stayed where she was, watching Leorio fall asleep, until someone knocked on the door. Opening it, Kurapika found a plump, middle-aged woman holding an envelope and smiling.

"Hello, I'm Mrs. Pons. I brought Leorio's money, but I can see he's already asleep. I guess you can give it to him for me," She extended the envelope to Kurapika, who took it. Mrs. Pons looked Kurapika up and down. "Xed was right, you are a cutie. Your clothes are dirty, though. Do you have anything to change into?"

"No, ma'am," Kurapika replied.

"Well, you go take a bath and I'll wash your clothes while you're in there. I can bring them right back in, I've got a key." She shook her pocket to emphasize that fact.

"No, I'm okay."

"Oh, don't be so polite. I insist. I've got a load to run, anyways."

The woman smiled so earnestly that Kurapika felt she had to let her do this. She went into the bathroom. Cautiously, she opened the door and left the neat pile outside for Mrs. Pons. She then started to undo the bandage surrounding her wound. Dried blood and pus made the final piece painful to remove. When she was ready, Kurapika turned on the water for a shower and climbed into the tub. It was a stand alone tub, with a shower curtain suspended around it.

Although she was getting used to the idea, she still couldn't believe Leorio had found out about her. She had managed to keep her true gender hidden for years and had never planned on having it revealed to her friends. But, she had misjudged how Leorio would react. Besides their spat in the woods, he hadn't really mentioned it again nor did he seem too bothered by it. For once, she was glad that Leorio was the same oaf as always.

Her mind then flipped over to more serious matters. The household she had taken the eyes from knew what she looked like. There was now more urgency to get to Rond and leave than there had been before. If she didn't leave the next morning, she risked being caught. It would also drag Leorio further in.

Kurapika turned the water off. After she had dried herself, she picked up the roll of gauze she had taken from Leorio's case and began to wrap it around her leg. As she wound the cloth around, something wet and sticky began to cling to her face, right under her eyes. She wiped at it with the back of her hand, but it didn't go away. She quickly tied up the loose ends of the gauze and stood up to look in the mirror.

Kurapika almost fell backwards into the tub, her breath caught in her throat. It was her image reflected in the mirror, but empty sockets stared back at her. Under the black cavern where her eyes should have been, blood had run like a waterfall and stained her cheeks. When she blinked, the image and the sensation of blood on her face were gone. The only thing in the mirror now was her flushed face and wide eyes.

She sat down on the edge of the tub and looked about the bathroom for anything that could explain what had just happened. When Mrs. Pons knocked on the door, she jumped.

"I got your clothes all done, dear. I'm leaving them right here next to the door. If you need anything else, don't be afraid to come join me, you coward," Mrs. Pons's voice was gone now. Kurapika stood up and faced the door. Her skin grew cold as the voice dropped to a pathetic, yet threatening, whisper. "I don't want to be alone."

Kurapika knew that voice. She dropped her knees, but couldn't look away from the door.

"Are you okay?" Mrs. Pons was back.

"Yes," Kurapika stammered.

"I'm going to go now. And you don't have to be so polite. You're a guest here."

"Okay." The front door shut. Kurapika stayed where she was. She was hallucinating, she told herself. That plant Leorio had given her wasn't gone yet and was causing her to experience these horrible things. She got up off the floor and opened the bathroom door, not feeling fully assured of her explanation. Her clothes in hand, Kurapika retreated back into the bathroom.

When she came back out, she went straight to her bag and took the hourglass out. The eyes bobbed up and down in front of her. It was all in her mind. She returned the eyes to the bag and went to shut off the lights.

Slowly, she made her way back to the bed through the darkness. The only light in the room now came from the front door, its outline framed by the white light of the hallway. Leorio was still stretched across the width of the bed, but she didn't care. She crawled over to the far side of the bed and leaned against the wall. Drawing her knees up towards her, she rested her chin in the little gap they formed and stared into the blackness.

000

Leorio snapped awake. As the scarlet tint that had taken over his dream world faded from his sight and his eyes started adjusting to the darkness of the room, he received another jolt.

A dark figure loomed near his head. The ghost had come for him now! As he tried to think of how to fight it off, it spoke.

"Are you awake, Leorio?" He blew out the breath he had been holding in. The ghost was just Kurapika.

"Yeah. I was just having a good dream, too. I had this gigantic bowl of ice cream and was about to eat it," He stopped before the part with the scarlet color. "You have any good dreams?"

"No."

Leorio propped himself up on his elbows. "What's wrong?"

"I'm just not feeling well."

"Anything I can help with?"

"Not particularly. I met Mrs. Pons while you were sleeping. She brought your money up."

Leorio laughed. "She's very friendly, isn't she? I swear, when I first got here, I thought she waited outside the door so she could ambush me for things to do."

He got off the bed and took the few steps over to his desk. Groping about, he found the cord and light filled the room. He opened a drawer and pulled out a chocolate bar.

"You want one?" When Kurapika nodded, he tossed it over and got out another. "I'm starving."

As they ate, Leorio found his envelope and opened it, counting the money to make sure Pons hadn't shorted him. Pleased with what he found, he put it back and looked over at Kurapika. She hadn't bothered to brush her hair and it had dried in a disheveled state. She looked pretty.

Leorio caught himself before he let his mind wander further. Kurapika had always looked like this. To acknowledge her looks now really did make him feel desperate. He hadn't admired her before when he thought she was a male, so he wouldn't now. To distract himself, he jumped back on the bed and pulled the covers back.

"I'm going back to sleep," He announced as he squirmed under the blanket to get comfortable. "You should try doing it, too."

"You're right," Kurapika said. She got under the blanket, but kept as far away from him as possible and faced the wall. Leorio clicked off the light and settled in. As he closed his eyes, Kurapika spoke again, this time quietly. "Thank you."

"Um, no problem."

It didn't take long for the red to come back. Once again, Leorio was wide awake and scanning the room. A pale figure stood at the end of the bed. His heart felt as if it was going to burst. He barely noticed when Kurapika's shoulder brushed against his side.

The figure pointed a finger at them. A face started to scratch itself into existence. Its eyes were red.

"Come out."


	3. Chapter 3

As if speaking was its breath of life, the spirit's features set themselves in place. Before them stood a boy, who was normal looking in every way except for his eyes. They were those of the Kurta, burning through the darkness of the room and adding even more menace to the boy's words.

"Come out. You're cheating."

"What do you want?" Kurapika said, an evenness to her voice that was, in its own way, as unsettling as the spirit's.

The boy's glare settled on her. Innocence and intense hatred intertwined in an unholy union and spread throughout the room.

"You can't keep hiding. It's my turn," The eyes flashed brighter, like a fire which has just received more fuel. He started yelling, his face beginning to contort. "Why can't you come out? You won. Come out. Come out!"

The boy began shrieking the phrase, growing louder and shriller each time he said it. As he listened, Leorio felt a sudden coldness. Just like in his dreams, the room was plunged into a scarlet sea. Why was this happening now? He felt like he was going to lose it if he stayed submerged in the noise and color.

"Stop it!" Leorio shouted at the boy.

And he did.

To Leorio's amazement, the spirit boy vanished and his own vision went back to normal. Leorio sat stunned, but then pulled himself out of it. He yanked on the chain for the desk lamp, illuminating the room. Beside him, Kurapika had yet to move. She sat still, her head bent down and her hands folded in her lap. Leorio decided it wasn't the time to ask what that had all meant. His eyes went back to the spot where the spirit boy had been.

He had been able to forget about it during the day, but now the memory of the white form he had seen standing over Kurapika the night before came back with a new meaning. This was more serious than he had thought. Not only was a spirit following them, but it was clearly a Kurta. He looked back at Kurapika. What had the boy been accusing her of?

He couldn't contain his curiosity any longer.

"Who was that?" He asked. There was a prolonged silence. As Leorio began to regret asking, Kurapika raised her head. He couldn't see her face clearly through her hair, but the low tone was all he needed to figure out what she was feeling.

"It was Sokiri. He was a friend of mine."

Leorio nodded. He debated a number of things he could say or do, but ended up laying his head back down on the pillow without saying anything. His eyes made a quick scan of the room to make sure their visitor wasn't lurking somewhere.

"I'm leaving the light on," He said as he shut his eyes. Kurapika didn't respond.

He hadn't meant to do it so soon, but Leorio fell asleep. When he woke up again, it wasn't to a sudden burst of scarlet or screaming ghosts, but the creaking of a door as it was shut. He rose and looked around lazily. He was jerked to wakefulness when he realized Kurapika was no longer in the bed or anywhere else in the room. Leorio threw back the covers and ran for the door. Going down the hallway, he found Kurapika in mid-descent on the stairs.

"Where are you going?"

Kurapika turned around and looked at him with a mix of tiredness, surprise, and a little embarrassment.

"I told you I was going to leave in the morning. I didn't want to wake you up."

"You're still just going to go after what happened last night?"

"I can deal with it on my own," Kurapika said. Leorio failed to feel as assured as Kurapika sounded. He knew he should just drop it and say goodbye, but the fact that Kurapika had tried to leave without him knowing ticked him off.

"I'm more involved in this than you think. I started seeing weird things the moment we showed up at that forest. If you think you can keep me out of this, you're wrong."

Kurapika was about to answer when a voice broke in from the bottom of the stairs. Pons looked up at the two of them with mild amusement.

"If you're going to break up, do it outside. There are patients down here."

"Sorry, sir," Kurapika said. Pons nodded and left. Kurapika then looked back up at Leorio. "I really do appreciate it, but I don't think I'll need your help. Once this is figured out, I'm sure whatever you're seeing will go away. Goodbye, Leorio."

"Yeah, see you later," Leorio conceded. He forced a smile. Kurapika returned a small one of her own and headed down the rest of the stairs for the door.

When Kurapika was gone, Pons poked his head back into the stairwell. "I've got some work for you. It'll take your mind off him."

Pons winked. Leorio said nothing and went back to his room.

000

After a quick shower and his first change of clothes in two days, Leorio was sitting downstairs at waiting room desk. This was normally Mrs. Pons' job, but whenever she was called out by the local mid-wife, Leorio took over patient check-ins and telephone answering. Being at the desk gave him the opportunity to use the computer to start looking up information on tree circles. No matter what Kurapika said, he was going to help any way he could.

"I want to see you back here in two weeks for a check-up," The sound of Pons' voice broke into the quiet waiting room. Next to Pons and the woman he was talking to, Leorio spotted a boy with his arm in a sling. Despite his injury, the boy looked happy, even proud. Leorio was immediately reminded of Gon and couldn't help but smile.

"Who's my next victim?" Pons asked as he came over to the desk and looked at the clipboard in front of Leorio. He groaned. "Mrs. Salet and whatever disease she has this week can come to my office in five minutes. I need to mentally prepare myself."

Leorio nodded and went back to the computer screen. He clicked on a promising web site. He was disappointed that he already knew everything it was saying, but a link to personal stories caught his attention. As he waited for the page to load, he looked out into the waiting room.

"Mrs. Salet," He called out to her. "Dr. Pons will see you now."

A well-dressed woman got up and walked towards him. Every time he saw her, which was often, she looked like she was in the middle of a very important task. She was complaining the moment she reached him.

"I can't believe you pushed my appointment back. I think I'm really dying this time. I have melonitis! My stomach feels like it's about to explode and I have all the warning signs for it. I'm tired all the time," She kept babbling on. Leorio resisted the urge to go back to the computer screen.

"That's horrible," Leorio said at last, trying to keep the irritation out of his voice. Having gotten something close to sympathy, Mrs. Salet left him.

Leorio scrolled down the testimonies. Most of them were about dares to the trees, which were commonly referred to as the Gateway, and about how scary it was being near them. Others were bizarre tales, one involving alien life forms using the Gateway to get experimental subjects. A long post from someone claiming to be a local historian proved to be more helpful.

Skimming the long introduction and early legends of the Gateway, he got to a paragraph about paranormal activity at the Gateway.

"_Although there have been stories about benign spirits who wish to give a last request to their loved ones, most of the spirits who dwell inside the Gateway are not so kind. These are purported to range from those seeking to cause mischief to demons. Reports of demonic possessions have usually found a beginning in a visit to the Gateway. There have also been tales of spirits latching on to an individual and feeding off of their aura. This case is less common and only occurs in those with high levels of aura or intense emotions. Due to these beliefs, prevalent in the outlaying communities, these areas are avoided and_…"

Spirits latching on to those with high auras or intense emotions. Leorio knew he couldn't be certain, but he felt he had just found their spirit.

The historian's comments continued, but Leorio couldn't find anything on how to get rid of the spirit. He put in a search for getting rid of ghosts.

000

The bus stopped, letting a couple off. Kurapika watched the doors wearily in case her pursuers happened to get on. When no one got on and the bus was back on the road, Kurapika felt it was safe enough to go back to staring out the window.

It was still another four hours to Rond.

She had stayed awake the entire night. While Leorio slept, she had thought about Sokiri and what he wanted. There had also been the agonizing times when memories would take over and force her to stop thinking so she could remember. It was very clear to her what Sokiri wanted. The problem was why.

Why would he demand that she join the tribe in death? The Sokiri she had known in life would have never said that. He rarely even got mad. Despite this, she wondered if it could be true. To die in that manner, maybe it could change even Sokiri.

She really shouldn't have survived, anyways.

Kurapika forced herself to stop thinking about that. She knew there was another possibility. Sokiri was not Sokiri, but an imposter. Leorio's mention of the circle of trees, a place rumored to hold predatory spirits, came back. That was the one she wanted to believe in.

_Pat_, _pat_, _pat_.

The sound of footsteps caught Kurapika's attention. A child from the front of the bus had started to run up and down the aisle, his mother warning him to get back to his seat. He giggled and kept at his sport. As he ran, he sang and shouted.

"Get back up here."

"No!" The child giggled again and ran further back. His mother got up from her seat and started to follow him.

"You're such a bad child."

"Such a bad child," The older woman sitting with them chimed in.

"Such a bad child," Whispered Sokiri.

Kurapika swung her head away from the people in the bus to the seat in front. Sokiri's arms rested on the back of the seat as he faced her. His eyes were missing.

Kurapika told herself it wasn't him. That didn't make anything he said hurt less.

"Why should you be the only one to live?"

Kurapika's hands gripped the edge of the seat.

"You just watched us all die, Kurapika."

_It's not him._

"I don't want to be alone."

An arm reached out towards her and brushed against her face. It felt like a real hand. Slowly, a nail traced its way up her cheek, towards her eyes.

Kurapika jerked back and slid away from Sokiri and his empty gaze, ending up in the aisle. It was the child running into the back of her legs that snapped her back to reality. Sokiri disappeared. The child shouted and wriggled past her. She dropped back to her seat.

She would have to endure this until she made it to her homeland and buried the eyes.

000

Finding ways to get rid of an aura-sucking spirit was proving difficult. Leorio wrote down a few suggestions for protection against spirits, but couldn't find anything to make them leave. He would have to get to the library later and get on the hunter's website, where he would probably get more detailed information.

He got offline. As the internet window slid down the screen and revealed the computer's dark background, a reflection of someone standing in front of the desk appeared. Leorio quickly turned from the computer.

"Sorry about that, how can I –," He stopped talking and stared at the boy before him.

Unlike the night before, Sokiri had color to him. Light passed through his body, but Leorio could see the short brown hair and the blue eyes. The other thing different about Sokiri was that he wasn't angry. He simply stood before Leorio, his face expressionless. Leorio wasn't afraid, but he had no idea what to do.

Sokiri extended a hand. He remained silent as he pressed two fingers against Leorio's forehead. The hand was see-through, but Leorio could feel its pressure. He then felt ready to pass out.

But, instead of being engulfed in black unconsciousness, he found himself on a bus.

000

Kurapika's cell phone started ringing. Keeping her focus on her surroundings, she groped for the phone.

"Hello?"

"Kurapika, as soon as you can, get off the bus. You're in danger."

"Leorio, I'm fine."

"No, you're not. There's an evil spirit attached to you. I just saw it…Sokiri showed me. Look, just get off the bus and wait for me."

"Sokiri?"

"Yes. I think I'll be able to explain it once I get there," From his voice, Kurapika could tell he was getting ready to rush out to meet her. She felt if he was this worked up about it, it would be a good idea to listen.

"Okay. I'll wait for you."

000

When the call ended, Leorio got up from the desk and headed back for Pons's office. He knocked and waited for Pons to open the door.

"What?"

"I have to go. Can I have your car?"

"What?" For a split second, Pons' eyebrows touched as part of his disbelief.

"My friend's in trouble. I need to borrow your car," Leorio's urgency was increasing with every second that passed. Pons looked at him, then shrugged.

"The keys are in my coat down the hall. Who's going to watch the front?"

"I don't know," Shouted Leorio as he ran down the hall.

000

The doors of the bus swung open, allowing Kurapika to leave. The bus stop was in front of a vast corn field. Kurapika sat on the bench and at the same time her phone starting to ring again. It was Leorio.

"Kurapika, I forgot to tell you, but I found some ways to keep the ghost away from you for a while. You can…_Come out and join us. Come out and join us_!" Kurapika pulled the phone away from her ear as yelling got louder. The words began to blend together and then morphed into screams.

Kurapika ended the call, but the screams didn't stop.

000

Leorio sped up as he passed a car. It was about an hour to the bus stop where Kurapika was, but at the speed he was going, he would cut that time down significantly.

The images Sokiri had shown him were still clear in his mind. He had seen everything that would happen if he didn't get there in time.

It would feed. Kurapika would be…

At the thought, he pressed the gas pedal down further.

000

Kurapika felt a pinprick in her back. Like a full tub whose plug has been removed, energy started to drain out of her. Kurapika switched to zetsu and the rate slowed down, but she knew she was getting weaker.

Weak. She had promised herself she would never let that happen again.

000

He spotted Kurapika up ahead. She was lying on the bench, an arm dangling off to the side.

"Damn it!" Leorio pulled up and burst out of the car. He grabbed Kurapika's shoulder and shook. There was no response. As he picked Kurapika up off of the bench, the red-eyed Sokiri flickered in and out of visibility. He had no time to think about it. Leorio twisted around and ran back to the car. With Kurapika in the passenger seat, he jerked the car around and raced back towards Valise.

**Ping-pong POVs. I've never done that before. **

**Next chapter: Kurapika x Angst x Hurray (?) **


	4. Chapter 4

**Rating went up to "T" for the violence in this chapter.**

**X**

Leorio felt helpless. Kurapika was slumped over, her head resting next to his leg. She had shown no signs of consciousness since he had found her. He had no idea if she could come back on her own or if he could do something. An inner voice began criticizing him. He should have never let her leave. He should have gotten there faster. He should have worked harder on _nen_ to reverse the state she was in now.

Kurapika could die and he would have been right there, having done nothing to save her.

_Just like with Pietro._

He would never let that happen again. No matter what, he would have to know he tried doing something. After he made sure the road ahead had no obstacles in it, Leorio concentrated on his energy and attempted _ten_. Seconds passed before he could feel a gentle warmness flowing under his skin. He slowed his breathing. Soon after, a faint yellow glow enveloped his hands before him.

Now what did he do? He hadn't been able to master anything except _ten_ and only knew the basic functions of the different kinds of _nen_. He wasn't even sure if he could transfer energy. As his frustration grew, the glow diminished. Leorio noticed it and tried to make the doubts leave his mind. When the glow was stronger, he took his right hand off the steering wheel and placed it on Kurapika's forehead.

"I hope this works," He said. A peek at the road ahead and he turned back to Kurapika. He imagined all of his energy rushing to his hand and being forced out of it into Kurapika's head. He knew he was doing something; every muscle in his body felt like it had done a strenuous exercise. Before he was completely exhausted, Leorio shut off the energy flow.

Kurapika hadn't shown any change. Leorio's hands gripped the wheel tighter. His vision began to get blurry as he told himself it hadn't worked. Leorio ran his sleeve over his eyes.

He almost had no time to remove his arm from his face when a bus started to cross over into his lane. Acting fast, he swerved and sped along the length of the bus. Free from the bus, he looked back using his rear-view mirror. Dust floated above the road and the bus had corrected itself. He cursed the bus driver.

He cursed again when he saw another car come into his lane and head straight for him.

A head-on collision looked imminent. With the part of his brain that was still thinking logically, he jerked the wheel to the right. The car went off the dirt road, and despite his best efforts, failed to get off the short, steep slope that clung to the side of the road. The car flipped over, finishing its somersault by landing back on to its tires.

Leorio sat stunned. When the shock wore off, he mentally assessed himself. His head hurt from where it had smacked against the window. The seatbelt had kept him in his seat and from worse injuries.

His thoughts were broken up when a low moan came from the floor.

"Kurapika! Are you okay?" Leorio leaned forward. Kurapika's eyes were wide open and flicking about, trying to find out where she was.

"I think so."

Someone tapped on the window. Leorio spun towards it, ready to go off on who he expected was the driver of the other car. Instead, Sokiri stood at the window. The red eyes and grim expression revealed him as their evil spirit. Leorio decided to try what had worked before.

"Go away," He yelled. Sokiri kept staring at him. "Go!"

Rather than vanish, Sokiri put his hand through the window. Leorio pulled back to avoid its touch, but that didn't matter. Everything changed before Leorio's eyes.

He was no longer in the car, but was now sitting on a tree branch, far from the ground. All around him was forest. Two people were with him on the branch, one on each side. To his right was Kurapika. To his left, resting her head against the tree's trunk, was a young girl. She wore a light purple dress and her long blonde hair was pulled back into a loose ponytail. It took him a moment to recognize that she was also Kurapika. She didn't acknowledge them, but stared down. Leorio did the same.

Below them was a wide path. As he followed it, his head rising slowly, he had a clear view of a village through a gap in the tree's leaves. There was a row of neat wooden homes. In front of one of the houses, two women were taking turns beating the dirt out a rug. From another house came the sound of a child crying.

From below them came a voice.

"Kurapika! I give up. Come out so we can play something else." Sokiri appeared at the bottom of the tree. He paused, his head swinging back and forth as he looked for Kurapika. When he had done this a few times, he moved further along the trail, continuing to call out. The child released a small giggle when he left.

Then screaming came from the village. The rug still hung, but the women were no longer next to it. One of them was on the ground, a small man with long black hair standing over her. The other was pleading with him.

From all directions, people came running. Some were being chased while others were armed and seeking out the intruders. Their savage expressions and shouts conflicted with their strict, traditional appearances. He didn't need to see their attackers to know that they were the Phantom Troupe. Leorio's stomach grew heavy as he realized what he was witnessing.

Below them came a thud. Leorio didn't want to see anymore, but he was no longer in control. Sokiri was on the ground, the lower halves of his legs missing. Despite this, he began crawling towards the village. A man wrapped in bandages came into view, pouncing on Sokiri, who cried out in pain. The man ignored it and gripped the boy's face. His boney fingers wriggled their way into Sokiri's eye sockets.

Leorio wanted to yell out and jump down to get the bandaged man off Sokiri, but found he could do neither. Even his eyelids refused to shut. Next to him, the younger Kurapika was hugging the tree. Her little body shook as she looked down at her village. Rage took over Leorio at the sight of her and everything around him, but he couldn't express any of it.

Something gripped his shoulder and pulled him backward out of the tree. He could feel the lurch of his insides as he anticipated hitting the ground. The impact didn't come. They had fallen back inside the car, both of them breathing heavy. Leorio turned to Kurapika. She had her knees to her chest and her face buried into her legs. He gently put a hand on her shoulder. It was vibrating under his grasp.

"Kurapika?"

"Leave me alone," Kurapika said sharply. She was glaring at him now, her irises red. There was a small, glistening trail going down her cheek. With some hesitation, Leorio removed his hand just as tapping came from the driver side window. This time, he found a living person peering in.

Leorio opened the door and immediately started to shout at the man.

"What the hell were you doing, driving into my lane like that?"

"It wasn't my fault!" The man pointed up at his car. "Something went wrong with my car!"

"It wasn't your fault? Yeah, right!"

"Hey, it's not like I planned for that to happen! I'm telling you, it was my car!"

Leorio didn't wait for the explanation. He grabbed a hold of the man's collar, his other hand curling into a fist. He glared at the man, who had stopped shouting and stared at Leorio's hand, waiting for the blow.

He never got it.

Leorio let him go, turned around, and punched the side of the car.

000

They had hailed down two men with a truck and pulled the car back on to the road. The car's roof and right side had been damaged. The right headlight was broken. The hook used for the towing had done its own damage so that the bumper was no longer securely attached to the rest of the car. The only bright side was that the car still ran.

Leorio exchanged information with the other car's driver and grudgingly paid the men with the truck. He then motioned to Kurapika, who had been sitting on the slope, to come back to the car.

Once he had sat down and started the engine, Leorio snuck a peek at Kurapika. She had calmed down and was staring straight ahead.

Neither of them spoke. Leorio used the time to think about what he had seen.

Leorio had never really wondered how Kurapika had been the only survivor of an attack by the Spiders. At the time, it wasn't important. Having seen the massacre for himself, his opinion was different. Firstly, he realized he had never known Kurapika. He understood her desire for revenge, but he had never experienced the emotions that had led up to it. He knew he would never know exactly what she felt.

The other thing the flashback had made him understand was what the spirit's words to Kurapika had meant. "Come out." The spirit was reminding Kurapika of how she had hid while her tribe was slaughtered. Accusing her of being a coward so it could feed off of her.

The car started to drift towards the side of the road. Leorio groaned. The rear tire was flat. Leorio reached a gas station and pulled into its vacant lot.

"I've got to change the tire," Leorio told Kurapika. He wasn't sure if she was listening or not. "It shouldn't take too long."

He got out and found the spare tire in the trunk. It seemed like the temperature rose as he started to change the tire. A bead of sweat tickled his face as he pulled the flat tire off.

As a chill traveled down his spine, he didn't need to see it to know a ghost was nearby. Leorio looked up to see Sokiri beside him, pointing into the car. Leorio followed the finger to a figure in the backseat of the car. It leaned over Kurapika's seat. With a few swift steps, Leorio had the passenger door open.

"Get away from her," He shouted and swiped at the spirit, a cold mist settling on his hand. With a defiant look, it obeyed and left.

Leorio grabbed Kurapika by both shoulders and shook. Kurapika's eyes shot open.

Leorio sighed in relief.

"Good, you're actually conscious this time. I can't believe it had the nerve to do that," He paused. He couldn't leave her alone again. "You should probably come out with me until I get this tire on."

"Okay."

They remained in their positions for a few seconds. It was Kurapika who spoke next.

"Leorio, I could get out if you took your hands off me."

Leorio noticed he was pinning her to the seat. He let go. Kurapika got out of the vehicle, and although she was trying to hide it, the simple action was taking a lot of effort.

"You can sit down there."

"I'm fine." Kurapika stood against the car.

"No, you're not. You're barely keeping yourself up," He pushed the new tire in. "There's nothing wrong with giving yourself a break. You clearly need one right now."

When he looked up, Kurapika was looking away from him, offended. He didn't understand what was wrong with what he said. He had made sure not to mention anything about the scene they had escaped from.

As he thought it, it hit him. Everything came together: the massacre, the refusal to rest, even the cross-dressing. The most powerful emotion he had felt when watching the members of the Kurta tribe being killed had been weakness. It was something he hated feeling. He knew it was the same for Kurapika.

Any frustration he had had with Kurapika was replaced with sympathy.

"That was the day you decided to become a boy, wasn't it?"

He didn't know what to expect when he looked up at Kurapika, but he was relieved to find he hadn't totally upset her. She was contemplating her answer, sadness mixing with the calm.

"Yes, that's right."

Having gotten his answer, Leorio got up from the ground and threw the car jack back into the trunk with the old tire. When he came back, he stood before her and looked her in the eyes.

"Kurapika, I don't care how you survived. The only thing I care about is that you lived," He squeezed her shoulder. "And I'll do everything I can to keep you that way."

Leorio let go. That was when he saw the grease stain he had left on Kurapika's white sleeve. Seeing it brought out the other marks from when he had grabbed her in the car. Knowing his expression would give him away, he abruptly started for his side of the car. The hope that Kurapika wouldn't notice was soon shattered.

"Leorio, what did you wipe off on me?"

000

The cigarette dropped from Pons' mouth as Leorio and Kurapika pulled in front of the office. He was yelling before Leorio had a chance to get out of the car.

"What did you do to her? Get out of my car! You will never go near her again! You will never look at her again! Oh dear God, my baby!"

"Hey, it was some other guy's fault! Yell at him instead," Leorio thrust a paper with a name and number on it at Pons. The doctor read it and then stepped closer to Leorio, snatching away his too-small glasses. He threw them on the ground and stomped on them.

"What the hell's wrong with you?! You can't just do that!"

"You don't even need these," Pons said, grinding the glasses into the pavement like they were a used cigarette. He smiled as he did it. "I feel much better now."

"We'll see how great you feel after I slam you to the ground."

"Cut it out, Leorio. We have work to do," Kurapika interrupted. Leorio and Pons gave the other a final threatening look.

"You got lucky," Leorio said as he followed Kurapika to the door.

"No, you did. I was about to pull out my secret weapon: no more free rent," Pons shot back as he walked over to his car. Leorio turned away from the sad sight of a man and his wrecked car and listened as Kurapika talked.

"We'll need to go to library. We should try finding the information out in books before we go to the hunter's website and spend money for it. There're also local historians we can check with. I'm sure they could point us in the right direction," Kurapika continued on, but Leorio tuned it out.

They were inside his room when Kurapika's tone became more somber.

"When you called me on the bus, you said Sokiri warned you about what was going to happen. Are you sure it wasn't this spirit that's attached itself to me?"

"I'm sure. The Sokiri I saw was much nicer. If he hadn't of shown up when I was changing that tire, I don't think I would've have saved you in time."

Upon hearing this, a smile flitted across Kurapika's lips.

"At least we have someone else on our side."

This comment made Leorio remember the information he had found earlier that morning.

"I found some ways to ward off spirits. Most of them weren't practical, but one site said if you have iron on you, the spirit can't touch you. I think it'd be a good idea if you had something like that in case we get separated," Leorio said, crossing the room to start looking through his drawers.

"You actually believe that?"

"Anything helps," He rummaged through a drawer full of junk. Towards the bottom, he spotted a nail. Leorio picked it out and gave it to Kurapika. "I can't remember if this was iron or not, but hang on to it."

Kurapika looked it over.

"Let's go get this research done with before I have to depend on the nail."

000

Leorio slammed a book shut.

"Maybe paying someone isn't such a bad idea," He said.

They had been in the library, skimming through all the books on local lore or the supernatural they could find. None of the librarians had proved to be very helpful. The closest thing to a "Gateway" they had heard of was a long-dead computer brand.

"There are still a few books left to go through," Kurapika replied, flipping a page of the book before her.

"I'm starving. Let's take a break and get something to eat."

"You do realize how serious this is, right?" Kurapika shut the book and reached for the next one. As she did so, she suppressed a yawn. Leorio saw it and kept at his drive for a break.

"I saw a hot dog stand outside. We can go there."

"Why don't you go and eat by yourself?"

"I told you, I can't leave you alone. That's the only time the ghost attacks."

"I have the nail."

"I can't believe you just said that with a straight face," Leorio laughed.

000

They had broken down and accessed the Hunter's site.

"_There are only a few known ways to banish a spirit when it comes from the Gateway. The first is to seek out an exorcism. Another option is to destroy the origin of the spirit_."

"They charged us for that?" Leorio said in disbelief. "What would the origin be? The trees? Do you think we're supposed to burn them down?"

"Let's make sure of that before we go and start a forest fire," Kurapika gave him a sideways glance. "It may be a good idea to go back to the town we found near the Gateway. That's where the historian who wrote about the Gateway lives. I'm sure he would be a good source of information."

"All right, let's go. We'll have to catch a bus, though. I don't think Pons is going to lend me his car again," Leorio got up from the computer seat and stretched out. Kurapika remained in her seat, thinking. "What is it?"

"Nothing," Kurapika said. She clicked the internet window shut and clutched the wooden divider between the computer stations so she could get up. Leorio fought the urge to reach out and help her.

000

It was nighttime by the time they got off the bus and made their way to the hotel. Thanks to a quick flash of their hunter licenses, they were given a big suite for the night. The first thing Leorio did when they got into the room was to throw himself down on one of the two beds.

"I'll never get used to how nice this stuff is. Come here and enjoy this with me."

Kurapika went stiff, an uneasy expression crossing her face. Realizing what he just said, Leorio quickly added in: "I didn't mean it that way."

"I know," Kurapika answered back as if it would have been stupid to think otherwise. She walked past Leorio's bed to the nightstand and pulled out a phone book.

"Are you looking for that historian?"

"Yes. Yanki Gogolo. I'm positive this number is his," Kurapika checked the clock. "Do you think it's too late to call?"

"A spirit is trying to kill you and you still feel the need to be considerate? Give it to me, I'll call him."

"I think it'd be better if I did it."

"What's that supposed to mean?"

"You've been on edge today. I don't want you going off on this guy."

"I have not been on edge. I've been acting the way any normal person would in a situation like this," Leorio stopped when he heard the anger in his own voice. He took a few breaths before talking again. "Whatever, you can call him."

He listened as buttons were pressed and a faint ringing came from the phone. Kurapika introduced herself and what she wanted. An inaudible voice spoke back from the phone.

"I know it's late, sir, but this is very important to us. If we could just-" Kurapika shut the cell phone. "He hung up on me."

Leorio rolled over onto his stomach and extended his hand. "Give me the phone."

"Let's just wait until tomorrow."

Leorio jumped off the bed and made a grab for the phone in Kurapika's hand. The only thing he got was a kick to the shoulder. He lost his balance and fell to the floor.

"You need to calm down, Leorio."

His kept his face pressed into the carpet, the colors blending before his eyes. Kurapika was right, he told himself. Quietly, he lifted himself off the floor and sat on the side of his bed right across from Kurapika.

"I guess there's not much else we can do till tomorrow. I'll keep watch tonight, so you can sleep."

Kurapika nodded, her eyelids already trying to shut. Leorio walked over to the TV while Kurapika pulled back the covers to her bed. He picked up a remote and began flicking through the channels. After he had picked one, he looked over at Kurapika.

She was already asleep. She lay on her side, facing towards him. Her hair fell into her face, some of it rising and falling with her breath. Leorio soon become more engrossed with watching her sleep than the movie.

_What am I doing? _

He put his attention on the TV. But he had lost interest in it. To keep himself from looking back at Kurapika, he lay down and stared at the ceiling.

All they had to do was destroy the origin of the spirit. They could torch the Gateway, like he had suggested earlier, but he knew it couldn't be that simple. Someone else would have done it already. But then what could the origin be?

Leorio thought. When he couldn't come up with anything, he went for his briefcase. He might as well study while he was awake. His briefcase and Kurapika's bag were side by side on the floor. Poking out from the bag was the bundle with the eyes. He stared at it.

"No way," He whispered.

They had went into the Gateway and left with a spirit pretending to be Sokiri. It made sense if the eyes were Sokiri's.

Did Kurapika already figure out that Sokiri might be the origin? Leorio had no doubt she did.

_Destroy the origin. _

Leorio felt the whole situation was getting worse.

**x**

**Stay tuned for the shocking conclusion!**


	5. Chapter 5

Leorio lagged behind Kurapika as they walked through the streets. He had finished off an entire pot of coffee throughout the early morning hours, causing a fierce competition between alertness and tiredness to rage in his body. This was the least of his worries.

Putting aside the business with the evil spirit, he had two main problems.

The first was the note he had found in his textbook with the date for when the new semester at medical school started. When he realized he was supposed to be at school that day, he had cursed loud enough to wake Kurapika.

That was a problem he could deal with. The other involved Kurapika and was more complicated. He had finally convinced himself it was the boredom that made his eyes drift over to Kurapika as she slept. Boredom and the evil spirit that was adamant on stealing Kurapika's aura.

Leorio put his internal grumblings on hold as he and Kurapika began to ascend a set of old, cracked concrete stairs. They led to the door of a house, a building whose age and wooden structure made it out of place on the street. The structure sagged, as if the roof was too heavy for it to hold. Leorio could have sworn he saw house shake as Kurapika knocked on the door.

A young woman opened the door. Leorio could feel some of his interest in the world coming back at the sight of her. He took in the long, curly black hair and brown eyes. His attention inevitably made its way down. Her dress showed off her wide hips and large bust. Leorio instantly approved of her.

"We're here to see Mr. Gogolo. I'm the one who called this morning," Kurapika said. The woman nodded and gave an embarrassed smile.

"I am so sorry. My father didn't mean what he said."

"It's okay, ma'am. As long as there's someone as kind as you here, we'll be fine," Leorio cut in. The woman looked uneasy as Leorio beamed at her. Kurapika let out a small groan behind him.

He didn't notice either reaction.

"Oh, um, that's great. Well, you two can come in." She moved aside and motioned for them to follow her into a sitting room. Bookcases, packed with fading book spines, covered every wall. The room's air was stale and drenched with the odor of old pages. "My father's not ready yet, so can I get you tea or coffee?"

"Tea would be good," Kurapika answered as she took a seat on a small couch. Leorio took the spot next to her, resting his head against the stiff back of the couch and crossing his arms over his chest.

"If the guy knew we were coming, you'd think he would have hurried up and got ready," Leorio said, tapping his foot against the floor.

"We are early. Besides, we should be glad he even agreed to see us. You didn't help our case by ranting in the background while I was on the phone with him."

Kurapika shot him an accusing look. Leorio shrugged as he spoke.

"Well, it shouldn't have taken a ten minute argument to convince him to meet with us. I'm sure everything I said about him was true."

"I'm afraid you're right. That's why I'm going to suggest you let me do all the talking."

"Okay. I'll just stick with talking to the daughter."

"Maybe it'd be best if you just kept your mouth closed the entire time."

"What's that supposed to mean?"

"You know what it means."

Leorio kept his reply to himself as a door opened between two bookcases and the woman came back in. She set out three cups and poured the tea. She then sat down across from them in a cushioned arm chair. Leorio decided to go against Kurapika's advice.

"We never got properly introduced. My name's Leorio and this is Kurapika."

"I'm Benora."

A few lines of polite conversation were exchanged. Kurapika was in the middle of answering one of Benora's questions in the vaguest manner possible when the door to the room opened.

Leorio's temper began to flare at the sight of Yanki Gogolo. The historian wore an old robe and a pair of pajama bottoms. His long, graying hair was tied back, but strands escaped, showing the lack of effort the man had put into it.

Kurapika stood up.

"Hello, Mr. Gogolo." Kurapika extended a hand and was about to speak again when Gogolo interrupted her.

"Oh, you're the one who's responsible for ruining my sleep. Not once, but twice, I might add," he said, angrily.

"Daddy, it wasn't that bad."

"And for something as stupid as the Gateway," Gogolo continued. "Since you didn't seem to understand on the phone, I thought I'd tell you in person. I'm tired of you paranormal thrill-seekers bothering me for ghost stories. Go out and get a life."

Kurapika remained unfazed.

"We aren't here for ghost stories. It's important to us to find out about how to get rid of a spirit from the Gateway. We already know that you have to destroy the spirit's origin, but we want to know if there's a specific way to do it. As a local historian, I assume you know something."

"I may know something. According to the legends, most people die before they get to the ritual."

"Is that because they wasted their time talking to you?" Leorio asked. He sat up straight and stared at Gogolo. Kurapika shot him a look that told him to shut up before turning back to Gogolo.

"What's the procedure?"

"I don't think I want to tell you. Go find out on your own," Gogolo said as he crossed his arms. Leorio started to rise. Kurapika held out a hand before him.

"Benora," she said, looking over at the woman. "Could you get us some cookies to go along with this tea?"

"Uh, sure." She got up and hesitatingly went into the kitchen. Kurapika fixed her eyes back on Gogolo.

"I'm afraid we don't have time to investigate this. It'll be in your best interest if you tell us what it is now." Kurapika was still speaking in the same calm tone, but the threat was clear. Anything Leorio was going to add died in his throat.

Gogolo wasn't oblivious to the change in tone, either.

"I will not be told what to do in my own home. I'm tired of having crazy people like you using me for such pointless information."

The sound of metallic clinking filled the room. Gogolo watched it in awe as Kurapika summoned her chain.

"How did you do that?" Gogolo asked.

"Tell us what you know and we'll leave. There's no need to drag this out any more," Kurapika said, ignoring the man's question. Gogolo, his attention still on the chain, sighed.

"Fine, this isn't worth fighting over," Gogolo cleared his throat. "Local tradition has it that once you find the source of the spirit, you take it back to the Gateway and destroy it…what are you doing?"

Kurapika had moved closer and held the chain before Gogolo.

"I'm not going to hurt you. Keep going."

"Fire is the only way to destroy it. Along with whatever the spirit's used to get into the living world, you have to burn some of the moss growing on the trees there. That, and a drop of blood from the possessed. That's it."

The chain never moved. It disappeared as the door to the kitchen creaked open and Benora came back in.

000

"Asshole," Leorio said as the door was slammed behind them. "Was he lying to us?"

"No, the chains didn't move."

Kurapika's sounded distracted by her thoughts, which relieved Leorio. While Kurapika was questioning the old man, Leorio had been reminded of her behavior with the Spiders and her willingness to do anything to get answers. She had come no where close to her dealings with the Spiders in the house, but any step in that direction worried him.

"Have you figured out what the origin is?" he finally asked, glancing down at Kurapika. She kept her gaze straight ahead as they walked onto a less busy side street.

"It's the eyes," Kurapika said quietly. There was a slight pause. "We should get back to the forest as soon as possible. If we get a map of the area, I can use my chain to find where the Gateway is. That way we won't have to get lost in the woods again."

"Are you okay with it?"

"I don't have much choice."

"I guess not. It's just..."

"You don't have to worry about me, Leorio."

"Worrying is something I excel at. I have to do it."

Kurapika began to grin. "That's true."

"Somehow, it seems like a bad thing when you agree with it." Leorio eyed Kurapika suspiciously.

"It's not," Kurapika replied. She then pointed ahead. "Let's try that store."

As a bored shopkeeper watched, they picked out a map with local trails and a compass. When they came out, the street had become busier and louder. They joined the crowd for a few blocks before Kurapika led Leorio to an empty alleyway. There, the map was unfolded and Kurapika's chain hovered above it. It swayed back and forth over the illustration of the forest before coming to halt. Kurapika pointed to a trail lying under the steel ball.

"That's where the Gateway is? Right next to that trail? How did we get lost?" Leorio exclaimed.

"Keep it down, Leorio," Kurapika glanced down the alley at the entrance and the street beyond before going back to the map. "If we start on Shedufu Trail, we can take it until we reach…"

Leorio tried to pay attention, but the words no longer registered in his brain and his eyes were beginning to close. It took all his effort to not fall asleep on his feet.

He hoped this would be over soon.

000

"I knew it. We're being followed."

While Kurapika kept walking like this was a normal thing, Leorio couldn't help but look around. He hadn't sensed anyone and his sweep of the area around them didn't change that. All he could see were trees, which crowded in closer to the trail the further they walked along it.

"How do you know?"

"Their auras. And one of them is wearing perfume," Kurapika said matter-of-factly. Leorio started sniffing the air, but only got the smell of dirt and pine trees. "They've been following us since we left the town. I'm sure that they're here for the eyes."

"You're not saying it's those guys, are you?" Leorio groaned when Kurapika nodded. His could go his whole life without seeing another inhabitant of the Land of Beautiful Men again. He quickened his pace. "They're so annoying. Can't we just lose them by going into the woods?"

"That would get us lost. We should pretend we don't know they're here and wait for them to attack."

"Or to talk our ears off," Leorio mumbled as Kurapika came back to his side.

They didn't have to wait long for their stalkers to show themselves. The two Hunters turned, weapons ready, and faced three men. All three looked exactly alike and only the varying shades of their wispy gray hair differentiated them from one another.

A man with ash-gray colored hair stepped forward.

"Our comrades may have fallen, but we do not intend to lose. We will not let you escape this time." With their announcement over, the men revealed their weapons. The two on the sides had swords. The middle man had a fancy revolver. Leorio looked from his long knife to the gun, his eyes getting stuck there.

"Hey Kurapika, are you sure we can't run away?"

"Take the one on the right. I'll deal with the other two."

Leorio took a deep breath. Kurapika had already gone ahead and he watched in amazement as the chain was whipped about before remembering he had to move, too. He and his chosen opponent ran at each other. Leorio jabbed when he was close enough to do so, but was blocked. The blades hit each other several more times. The man was far more skilled with the sword and Leorio couldn't get a blow in on him.

After he had nearly been sliced across the upper arm, Leorio decided it was time to make their fight more even. Gripping the hilt with both hands, like he was holding a baseball bat, he swung the knife as hard as he could. The resulting blow sent the other man's sword flying into the trees. Leorio grinned and sheathed his knife. Without wasting another second, he punched the man in his perfectly curved chin.

Leorio made to punch again, but his hand was grabbed and he was pulled in by the man. Leorio saw the man's raised knee before it dug into his abdomen. Leorio punched again. This time, he hit the man and knocked him off balance. Both of them fell off the trail and on to the moss covered ground of the forest. They stayed down and continued their struggle, Leorio striking out against anything hard. The pretty man did the same and went as far as to bite Leorio. The sudden pressure on his arm shocked Leorio, giving the man a chance to get up and stumble off to get his sword.

He didn't get it. Leorio tackled him further into the woods and forced him to stay down. The fight dragged on. Leorio elbowed the man, then felt his tie tighten. The other man pulled on it and his eyes became wide with exertion and rage. Thinking fast, Leorio head-butted him. Immediately, the man let go.

Leorio got to his feet, holding his forehead. He found the sword and picked it up. Further into the forest was a section where the earth sloped steeply. The area below was littered with fallen trees and a few large rocks. Leorio walked over to the slope and threw the sword down.

He turned just in time to see the man charging at him. Leorio jumped out of the way, but was still caught by an outstretched arm. He was pulled, along with its owner, down the hill. Leorio felt his breath forced painfully out of his lungs as he fell backwards into a tree. He heard the other man cry out in pain. As he got to his feet and looked down at the man, he saw what had caused the cry. The man had stopped falling only after his foot got stuck under an exposed tree root. It didn't take a medical degree to know that the ankle had been broken; the foot was twisted in an unnatural direction.

Leorio groaned. He couldn't just leave the guy down there. Carefully, he made his way to the man.

He no longer resembled the confident man Leorio had faced on the trail. A mixture of blood and saliva stuck to his chin. His light gray hair was no longer in place and his face had become paler at the sight of his foot. Small whimpers escaped his lips.

Leorio kneeled next to the man, gently lifting the pant leg. He was relieved to find that the skin hadn't broken. With his inspection done, Leorio spoke to the man.

"Hey, I'm going to help you out of here. I need you to try and get up."

The man moaned in reply. Leorio got a hold of his arms and helped him stand. He wobbled and looked like he was about to faint. Leorio realized he was going to have to carry him out.

"Get on my back. I'll carry you up," Leorio said reluctantly.

With the man on his back, Leorio started to climb back up the hill. His level of discomfort, already high, was raised more as the man started crying.

"I just can't believe your helping me. You should have left me down there to die. I failed my mission. I'm a disgrace"

"It's not that bad."

"My brothers will never talk to me again. My master will never let me back into his home."

"Shut up or I'll change my mind and leave you," Leorio snapped. He jogged through the woods back to the trail.

The two men Kurapika had been fighting lay unconscious on the dirt path.

"My brothers have also failed. We can never face our master again," the man wailed. Leorio ignored him, looking up and down the trail. Kurapika was gone. Leorio gritted his teeth together.

"I'm putting you down now."

When he had gotten the man on the ground, his jacket providing a cushion for the broken ankle, Leorio went over to his discarded briefcase and pulled out a bottle of painkillers. He gave several to the man and then pulled out his cell phone. He paced up and down as he called for help.

"How can I ever repay you?" the man asked when Leorio hung up and was about to leave. Leorio looked over his shoulder at the man as he started down the trail.

"Stop coming after my friend."

000

The man with the sword had been disarmed and knocked out in two deft blows, but the one with the gun had managed to dodge the chain. Kurapika was alarmed to see him aim the gun at her and quickly took action. As his fingers prepared to fire the gun, Kurapika swung the chain. It snaked itself around the man's extended arms and forced them together. Kurapika pulled down, the hands obeying. The man made a move to correct himself and fire, but the chains tightened around his wrists.

Kurapika jerked on the chain, causing the man to fall to the ground. The gun dropped from his hands on impact. Kurapika kicked it away.

"I will not be defeated!" the man shouted, getting to his knees and trying to stand back up. Kurapika was about to answer with another movement of her hand when a small click reached her ears. It was the hammer of the gun being pulled back.

Both fighters forgot each other and watched the gun rise off the ground.

Kurapika's curiosity quickly turned to fear as hands materialized around the gun. Following the hands were arms and, like a construction of dominoes which fell in several directions at once, the whole body came to life. Kurapika could feel the muscles tense up throughout her body as she recognized it was the spirit who had been trying to feed off of her.

She could not let herself be afraid of it.

The chain unwound itself from the man's arms and shot towards its new target. The chain went straight through the spirit. The only effect it had was to make the spirit smirk, using the lips that rightfully belonged to Sokiri. Kurapika watched the gun rise slowly, her mind working fast to think of a way to stop the spirit.

The trigger began to creep backwards. Kurapika brought the chain up again and tried to knock the gun away. Both spirit and gun flashed out of sight, reappearing again in a different spot.

It was closer now.

Kurapika took a step away. The spirit followed.

When the trigger was squeezed backward once more, Kurapika jumped to the side. Nothing came from the gun. The movement did cause something to dig into Kurapika's hip. She was forced to find the source of the sharp pain. As she searched, her fingers touched the nail Leorio had given her.

Kurapika looked back up at the spirit, whose smirk had grown as it watched her. Putting all her hope into the nail, Kurapika threw it at the spirit. Like the chain before it, the nail went through the body. This time, however, a hole was left behind.

The hole expanded and the spirit screeched as its body was rapidly sucked into the gap. When it was gone, Kurapika cautiously went over to where it had stood and picked up the nail. She then took a look around her.

The owner of the gun had passed out and his comrade was still out cold. Seeing she didn't have to worry about her human opponents, Kurapika scanned the forest in search of Leorio. All Kurapika could see was a wall of blackness. Like a tidal wave in slow motion, it rolled over the trees, leaving nothingness behind. This was happening all around her.

Kurapika pulled her eyes away from the approaching walls. She didn't like the idea of leaving Leorio behind, for both of their sakes, but she had to get to the Gateway before the trail disappeared.

Taking another fruitless glance, she darted down the path.

000

Leorio had no idea where he was going.

He had been running down the trail, skipping trails he was certain Kurapika hadn't mentioned. Kurapika was no where in sight. His sense of being lost was made complete when he reached a fork in the trail. His eyes switched from one trail name to another. These names were familiar, but he couldn't remember which one he was supposed to take. Leorio tried to recall Kurapika's words, but nothing came back.

If only she hadn't gone off on her own, this wouldn't have happened.

Leorio was about to reflect on more reasons why his current situation was Kurapika's fault, but stopped them. He didn't have time to be blaming things on Kurapika. Instead, he concentrated to remembering the way she had planned out. Attempting to stimulate that memory, Leorio started to pace and to scratch the back of his head in an attempt to stimulate his memory.

Leorio's vision flashed red. He didn't panic as he had before, but looked around. On the trail to the left he spotted Sokiri. The boy raised one arm, his finger aimed at a spot further down the trail. Leorio understood and began to run again, Sokiri leading him. The ghost seemed to be standing still as he moved along, his hair and clothing never swaying to betray a running body.

When the two reached another spilt in the trail, Sokiri drifted to the left and stopped. Leorio joined the ghost, using the pause to breathe. At the place they stood, the trees were less dense, allowing Leorio to see the Gateway and a portion of its surrounding meadow.

"Thank you," he said.

Sokiri nodded. His color was beginning to fade out. Leorio knew this was the last time he would see the Kurta.

"Take care, kid."

The words had barely gotten out when Sokiri vanished.

Leorio blinked to get his vision clear and made his way off the path.

000

Kurapika stood in the center of the Gateway. At her feet were a small fire and a broken hourglass. She saw none of this. The eyes in her hands were her world. With the alcohol that had been preserving them evaporated, the eyes no longer glistened, but their irises were still a brilliant red. The scarlet circles filled Kurapika's mind and she almost didn't notice the hands close around her wrists.

With great difficulty, Kurapika dragged her gaze away from the eyes to look down. Sokiri kneeled in front of her, his eye sockets empty. They begged to be filled.

Sokiri's lips moved, but there was a delay before his whispers reached her ears.

"Please don't do it. I want to go back home."

Kurapika stared dumbly at him. Her mind tried to think, but getting to the thoughts was like walking in knee-high mud. Another voice broke in, bogging down her thought process further.

"Dear, you need to give those back to Sokiri."

She recognized the soft, female voice. Kurapika's lips trembled.

"Mother?"

"The sooner you give them back, the sooner we can go home."

Sokiri's grip, her mother's voice. Kurapika felt her body growing light despite the heaviness of her mind.

_Home_.

All she had to do was put the eyes back where they belonged. Sokiri smiled at her in encouragement. She bent forward, offering the eyes to Sokiri.

"Kurapika!"

The voice vibrated the small circle. Kurapika could feel her body shaking. The stupor was wearing off.

"Leorio?"

Saying the words cleared her mind and her thoughts started to churn again. Kurapika could feel the eyes in her hands, soft and warm. They were Sokiri, not the person holding onto her. As if to confirm this, Sokiri's form left. In his place was a dark shadow, its touch burning into Kurapika's flesh.

She knew was she had to do. She took her fingers off the eyes and her palms tipped down. The eyes rolled out of her hands and into the fire below. The demon screamed and let her go. Wasting no time, Kurapika reached down for a jagged piece of the hourglass and cut into her hand. As the blood seeped out, she held out her hand over the fire. Drops trickled out and off her skin.

As the drops of blood were devoured by the fire, the creature's screams grew louder. The flames from the fire latched on to its feet and raced up its body. It was soon enveloped in the flames.

Kurapika stepped back from it and ran into something solid. She didn't bother to see what it was. The demon gave a final cry and was drawn into the fire she had made. Its flames leapt up and down as if celebrating. The dance hurt her eyes. She let her head fall to avoid it while silent tears escaped down her cheeks.

Hands gripped her shoulders and turned her around. Kurapika didn't resist as arms wrapped themselves around her and pulled her close. She pushed her face against Leorio's chest and let his shirt soak up the tears.

Hesitantly, she brought her arms up and returned Leorio's embrace.


	6. Chapter 6

Leorio picked a picnic table out and sat down at it. He checked his watch and realized how early he was. Taking it as a chance to rest, Leorio stretched out on the bench seat and folded his arms under his head. The sky above was devoid of clouds and the sun shone bright. Leorio shut his eyes against its bright rays.

He was more nervous than he wanted to admit.

This was going to be the first time he saw Kurapika since the day they had gotten rid of the evil spirit. He had no idea what she was going to say when they met up again. The fact that she hadn't refused to see him was a good sign.

As he lay there, he couldn't help but think back on their parting.

000

They had emerged from the woods exhausted. Despite this, Kurapika announced that she would be going back to her employer that day. Leorio told her it would be better to rest before leaving. An argument had consequently broken out between the two. Kurapika won, but Leorio knew he had come close to convincing her to stay with him a few hours longer.

Their bus ride to Leorio's city had been quiet. On the rare occasion one of them spoke, it was only about a trivial subject. Leorio ended up falling asleep and remained that way until his stop. In a daze, he said his goodbyes to Kurapika and got off the bus. He remained at the bus stop to watch her leave.

He hadn't expected to be hit with a sudden feeling of loneliness as the bus pulled away. He tried to ignore it, but as the bus got further away, it got worse. The memory of their embrace in the Gateway then came to the center of his attention.

The next thing he knew he was running on to the road and chasing after the bus.

Cars behind him honked. His own body, sore from lack of sleep and fighting, protested. He paid no mind to either and waved his arms at the bus. People gathered at the back of the bus to look at him.

When his cell phone had rung, he had added to the insanity by answering it.

Before he could say "hello", Kurapika's voice flooded his ear. She sounded like she was on the verge of shouting.

"Leorio, what are you doing? You're scaring everyone on the bus."

"I have something to tell you!" he gasped, trying to get some air at the same time.

"Get off the road and call me later. I'm sure it can wait." He saw Kurapika join the crowd at the back of the bus. Her expression was a mix between annoyance and embarrassment for him.

Leorio kept his eyes on hers as he let the next words slip. "It's very important. I love you, Kurapika."

A pause. In the bus, Kurapika had shut her eyes and shook her head.

"Stop chasing the bus and go home, Leorio. You obviously need more sleep."

"I mean it, Kurapika. Come back whenever you can. I'll wait for you," Leorio said. He made his way to the side of the road and slowed down.

"Goodbye, Leorio," Kurapika muttered before hanging up.

With his mission done, Leorio let himself collapse on to the ground. The rational part of his brain, as well as his body, told him what he had just done was stupid.

His emotions did not share such logic.

He had grinned like a fool for several minutes.

000

Leorio was pulled from his thoughts by the soft tread of feet on the grass. He opened his eyes, squinting in the sunlight, and saw Kurapika. He was a little disappointed to see she was wearing her usual Kurta outfit.

As she put a bag on the table, he rose into a sitting position.

"Did you pass your finals?" Kurapika asked, taking a seat next to him. She wasn't showing any signs of discomfort; it was the same Kurapika as always. This calmed Leorio down a bit.

"I sure did. How's your job?"

"It's going well." She looked off into the distance and spoke in a more somber tone. "I managed to find another set of eyes from my clan."

"Any ghosts try to suck your soul out?"

"Not that time. I think you're the one who brings them out."

"Yeah, right. If I hadn't been there, you would be dead right now," Leorio said, straightening his tie out of pride. He let it go as he remembered Sokiri. "Well, actually, I can't take all the credit."

A silence passed between them before Kurapika spoke again.

"I'm grateful for the both of you."

Leorio nearly jumped when Kurapika put her hand over his. He looked down at their hands and then up at Kurapika. She returned his stare.

"So, does this mean you like me?" Leorio asked in disbelief.

Kurapika cocked an eyebrow.

"Like? I thought you said 'love' when you called me on the bus."

"I did. I just didn't think you'd feel the same way." Some of the nervousness was coming back. He could feel his face get warmer. He didn't know how Kurapika was managing to stay so calm.

He thought it was time to change that.

"Hey, let me kiss you."

Kurapika reddened, giving him the reaction he wanted. He scooted closer. Kurapika put held her hands up.

"Not here."

"Why not? It's a public park. No one's going to care if I kiss you," Leorio said. He leaned in closer.

"Leorio, stop!"

He kept going. Kurapika punched him in the mouth.

"Was that really necessary?" Leorio shouted as he brought a hand up to his mouth.

An energetic voice from behind him answered the question.

"Hey guys!"

Leorio spun around to see Gon and Killua approaching the picnic table. His mouth didn't hurt as much anymore.

"We interrupting anything?" Killua smirked.

"No," Kurapika and Leorio said at the same time.

Killua shrugged. "Geez, no need to get angry. Gon and I can leave you alone if you want."

"Why would we do that, Killua? We haven't eaten yet," Gon said as he dug into the bag Kurapika brought. Leorio turned to Kurapika and whispered loudly.

"He's on to us. You have to tell them you're a woman."

"I don't have to do anything! This is your fault, anyways."

"You should have warned me sooner."

"I gave you plenty of warning."

Killua sat down next to Gon and watched the argument unfold.

**End**

**Well, if you made it this far, you're awesome. Thank you so much for reading my story!**

**This story was originally supposed to just focus on Leorio discovering Kurapika was a female. Sokiri and evil!Sokiri were after-thoughts and I'm afraid they may have taken up some of my attention to the whole "Holy crap, my friend's a chick and it is so wrong that I find her hot" plot. I feel it's turned out well, though, and hope you feel the same.**

**But if you think otherwise, don't be afraid to say so.**

**All these chapters have presented some kind of challenge. These ranged from making up a name for a town (solved by random words) to keeping the characters in check. I also apologize if my dislike for action scenes was showing; I have a very short attention span when it comes to them and have to work hard to write them.**

**If anyone's wondering, Pons is not going to let Leorio forget he wrecked his baby. (He did get insurance money, though, and fixed her.)**

**Thank you, Chris, for hounding me to get this story written.**

**And, once more, thank you for reading.**


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